Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-10-13
HOW THE BERRY DISPUTES THE
SUPREMACY or TEA AND BEER.

Arabs Method Of Preparation-Turlxish
COffee-what Brillat savarin says-Ef-
fects of Excessive Indulgence.
The use of coffee is general in all civil
| lied countries, but its preparation and
consumption vary considerably. Among
the Arabs it is universal, whether in such
centers of civilization as Cairo, Alexan-
dria and Algiers, or in the desert. The
| only exceptions are caused by the poverty
which prevents its purchase. In France
| it is the fayorite beverage, though tea is
| growing in power. The social and COM
mercial effects in that country OF its sud-
den humiliation can readily be imagined.
Tens of thousands of cafes and n million
of people would find their occupation
gone, and several millions of Frcnchmen
would be seen wandering about after din
ner in an utterly homeless and distracted
manner. In England tea still disputes
the supremacy of the Arab berry. In
Germany it divides the honors with beer.
and in Austria, Spain and Italy it is q
solace and inspiration of the people in
town and city. There is no European city
so small, no village SO contemplate, that
it has not its cafe modelled, though it is
often an exceedingly weak imitation, on
those of the Paris boulevards.
In the United States its use varies in
different localities. A quarter of a cen.
tury ago it was the ordinary accompani-
ment of the first meal of the day tea
being generally served at the evening re-
past. In the eastern states this practice
continues. In the western and southern
states coffee Is more esteemed, and in the
rural districts is considered absolutely
necessary to the three meals day of the
farming classes. In large American cities
where there is a late dinner, in the French
fashion, coffee is either served at table or
in the drawing room Immediately after
ward.
In all countries, even in France, good
coffee is the exception rather than the
rule. The visitor in Paris drinks "real
French Coffee" technically so called, at
certain places only on the boulevard and
here and there in other parts of the city
at hotels and restaurants. In England
poor coffee is the rule, following in this
| respect the general inferiority of the
British cuisine. In Germany coffee is
generally good at restaurants and railroad
bullets, while at the principal cafes of the
great cities of Austria-Vienna, Prague
and Buda-Pesth-it is excellent and often
served with cream. At the great cafes of
Italian and Spanish towns it is rarely
more than fair.
In England and America coffee is usually
made by infusion; on the continent al
most always by filtering boiling water
once or twice through the powdered
berry. The Arabs at Cairo and elsewhere
preserve their old fashion; that is, they
simply pour boiling water on to the pow
dercd coffee, and after minute or two's
simmering serve 1t with the grounds.
The pot, which is not covered, is of cop
per or brass, tapering toward the top like
a tin teapot and having long handle
The berry has been previously roasted
and brayed in mortar. 1t is never
ground. Brillat Savarin, in his learned
work, 1.-The Physiology of Taste,' says
that coffee powdered in this manner is the
best, and he adds that, having quantity
of the roasted berry, he divided it into
two equal parts, one of which he brayed
In mortar and the other ground in
mill. The coffee was made by filtration,
and q company of connoiSseurs to whom
he submitted it all declared that best,
which they were afterward told had been
powdered in the mortar.
The Arabs employ wooden pestles,
which, after long use, are sold at high
price. Five or six minutes are all that
are necessary for the Arabs or Turks to
prepare their coffee after it is once roasted.
All that is necessary is the simple ma
chinery described brass pot, handful
of charcoal in window seat or on the
ground, and the beverage is promptly
made and served. Travellers invariably
speak of Arab and Turkish coffee as ex-
cellent, but among civilized nations the
presence of the grounds is always consid-
cred Objectionable, and some means of
Qualification are invariably used, such as
the patent pots for infiltration or the
white of eggs, where the process is by in
fusion.
Brillat Savarin, after having tried al
methods of making coffee, declared that
the most efficient for preserving the aroma
and avoiding the extraction of the poison
Gus principleiwas by filtration. But he
always speaks of coffee as beverage to
be used discreetly by adults and forbid
den to children. In small quantities and
not too strong, it is healthy stimulus to
the nerves. Used IN excess, it produces
disease and sometimes deformity. He
once saw in Leicester square in London q
man who, by its immoderate use, had be-
come cripple. He had lost all sensation
In his limbs-had ceased to suffer, but
still continued to drink it to the extent of
Eve or six cups day.
ENcrN YCESOn EHOuIu OS &OSCEuCU III It's
use by its effect on himself. AS gentle
inspiration it is valuable. 1t may some
times be safely drank as an aid to intel
lcctual labor. Taken at the proper
moment, it will prevent headache re-
sulting from nervous depression. Properly
used after dinner, it aids the digestion and
counteracts the heavy effects OF wine or
other stimulants. But IL 1t il found that
it prevents sleep when taken late in the
day, or that it is an absolute necessity at
eertain hours to prevent nervous reac-
ton or mental dullness, ifs use should be
discontinued for several days, or until the
system is restored TO its normal condition.
lt must never be forgotten that sleep is
The great stimulus of the body; Is tired
natures sweet restOrer, and that other
etimIilants, though sometimes useful, are
like medicines, temporary Temedies-that
is to say, they are usually to be regarded
as o choice between two evils. Coffee Is
TNownpaxvn nf great rnyvqr A man wrnfuhf